Mark McTavish
( BL_ID: 13767 ) Summary Mark grew up in a nice, loving family. He followed his dream of applying robotics on humans. He worked under Latent Corporation, the same that produced a the Genementer . Later, he suffered a accident that demanded the use of his own research to save him. As time passed by, the overwhelming apocalypse forced the collapse of modern civilization. He ventured northward, hoping to prove the rumors true of survivor camps set up there. His journey took him to Alaska, where he came across a small, bustling village. He had made it to Greenwood . Prologue Mark came from small, rural home in Washington. His parents raised him to be a man with integrity and honor, and he became just that. He loved his parents dearly, no matter what happened. He still struggles, even to this day, to find any remnants of his family, mutated or not. Some may call it foolishness. Others may even call it obsession. But to him, it’s simply the need to know that drives him because, in the end, that’s all that really matters in this world: family. To Mark, failure was never an option… Born with an intellect sharper than most people he encountered, he had very little trouble excelling his scholastic studies. During the course of his young life, Mark had taken an interest in robotics. All of his spare time was spent endlessly tinkering with machines which seem to accomplish only the most basic of functions. Balancing his studies, hobbies, and home life, Mark applied for pre-college courses such as Advanced Mechanics & Robotics at the ripe age of 16. One day, on a visit to the local grocer, Mark saw something truly saddening. Curled up against the wall next to his battered cart, which had seen better days, lie a poor, old man. Sure, Mark had always seen a bum or two around grocery stores like this, but there was something about this one that truly brought out his sympathy for him: he was missing his left arm & leg. It must've been one of the war veterans he had heard about that came back and used all their life savings on escapes like alcohol or drugs because of the traumatic experience they had to go through… As he stood there, staring at him from afar, he witnessed the crippled man begging for money or food from passersby going in and out. To think that a human being has to stoop so low as to beg for survival was more than what Mark wanted to accept... Since that fateful day, Mark persuaded his parents to take the man in and shelter him. Even though this was a very strange request, this was no real problem, seeing as they had a spare guestroom anyway. When he was nurtured back to health, the man, Al, proved to be quite a nice guy, most likely humbled through the past war experiences. The more Al go to know them, the nicer he became. Of course, he had occasional nightmares, but then again, we were there to help him through them. They eventually learned that the man had no family. That was partly the reason why he enlisted: to belong to a family. In that sense, they were very much alike: family was the only thing that mattered. As time passed, watching the man hobble around with a cane was becoming less bearable each day. Yes, Al said he didn’t mind getting around that way, but that was really just his humble side speaking for him. From then on, Mark vowed to find a way to restore his limbs; to restore him to his former stature. Profession Finishing high school and then college not long after, he again enrolled in Applied Medical Science to research a way to create an artificial human limb. Yes, he already knew that there had been many unsuccessful attempts at restoring lost limbs through this method, but he believed that they had taken the wrong approach. He was destined to find and create a lasting, sustainable artificial limb. Graduating from college again, he signed up as medical practitioner at the local hospital. He mostly worked that job to provide an income that would fuel his research. It seemed like every night he came home, he would seclude himself in his work, passionately trying to find a way to achieve what he set out to do. Success finally came to him on a lonely, Friday night. After many unsuccessful tests, Mark finally managed to produce a working, prototype arm. Of course, he kept his work a secret, only shared with his family. But, after a while, coupled with the success of Al, Mark decided go public with his research. It was long, hard fight just to get the petition to show it to go through, seeing as many of the people simply did not believe this was possible. Finally, though, somehow he was accepted into the 2008 Washington State Science Fair. Since then, Mark and his family gained immediate popularity among the nation. As a result of this widespread fame, Mark was called up one night by an esteemed company, offering to give him a job in there corporation if he would give them a demonstration of his work. His career flourished after that. In 2009, Mark McTavish landed the job in Latent Corporations and continued his research under them. Now comprising of a full staff of employees, he was able to get a lot more accomplished than being by himself, holed up in that drafty basement. Not everything was dandy, though. At the same time, a group of graduated students that had accomplished a breakthrough in nanotechnology was hired under the Corporation as well. Fierce battles for funding ensued since then, one that Mark and his team were gradually losing, due to the expanding public success rate of the other party’s product, the "Genementer." Undisclosed Incident While Mark was working in one of his assigned laboratories, a huge rumble began to shake the foundation of the building. An earthquake was hitting the city, and everyone was told to evacuate for their own safety. Mark stayed behind to make sure everyone else got out. Running to the elevator, block from the ceiling began falling down on top of him. Before he could make it, one struck in the back of the head, rendering him unconscious. When he came to, Mark demanded to know what happened. Everyone was silent. Angry at the fact the he was being kept in the dark, he grabbed a nearby assistant’s arm. Before he could say anything, a shocking horror came upon like a punch to the stomach: his left arm was mechanical. Frantically feeling around him, he realized that his left leg was replaced and the right side of his face was covered as well. That part was strange, considering his research never included facial restoration. But, that didn’t matter. He needed to know how he was going to go through life with half-mechanical body. The Story Now About two months after the fall of civilization, Mark decided to venture out toward the snowy tundra. He didn’t know why he wanted to head north. Maybe because the mutated die quickly in extreme conditions, proving to be a safer area. Maybe to test the validity of the rumors claiming that other survivors were holing up there. He didn’t know. All he did know was: that needed to continue pushing forward. Eventually, Mark came across a small, barricaded town. Watching from far above, he noticed that the town bustled with life. The rumors were most definitely true; people were taking refuge in Alaska. Mustering the courage, he ventured down into the village. After asking around, he came to know the name of his new home: Greenwood. Personality Mark is a shy guy. He doesn't really reach out and speak to random strangers like most people might. But once you get him going, essentially "breaking the ice," he's really easy to talk to. He's also a guy you can confide in. If you need to talk someone about an issue you're have, don't hesitate to find him. He's always happy to help in any way. Even though he might seem shy, he'll do what's necessary when danger arises. He doesn't prefer violence, but understands when it needs to be used to solve some issues. Facts Mark's arsenal consists of: *a Barnett pullback crossbow, *and a mult-use frying pan. His home can be found on a ledge around the entrance to "Greenwood" in "Riverside ". It is complimented with a partially-built tower and a green tent with a warm campfire. Category:Characters